NMA Statement on the EPA’s Proposal to Rescind the Endangerment Finding
For Immediate Release:
October 8, 2025
Statement attributable to:
126th President, National Medical Association
The National Medical Association (NMA) strongly opposes the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding. This finding, grounded in decades of scientific evidence and affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, recognizes that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare; particularly in communities already burdened by poor air quality and environmental injustice.
Rolling back this critical protection would have catastrophic consequences for climate health, increasing rates of respiratory disease, heart disease, and premature death, especially among African Americans and other vulnerable populations who disproportionately live near highways, industrial areas, and sources of pollution. African Americans are also much more likely to die from issues caused by air pollution than people from other racial and ethnic groups. Many Black people in the U.S. deal with two distinct problems: breathing in more polluted air and being more likely to suffer from its harmful health effects due to challenging living conditions.
Additionally, African Americans experience higher health risks from extreme weather caused by climate change, such as heatwaves and hurricanes. Many Black people have less access to healthcare and money and tend to have more existing health problems. These factors, along with higher temperatures and stronger storms, make people of color more vulnerable to physical injuries, heat-related sicknesses, breathing problems, and interruptions in important services such as clean water and electricity.
The NMA urges the EPA and all policymakers to uphold the Endangerment Finding and to strengthen, not weaken, safeguards that protect the air we breathe and the planet we share. Public health and environmental health are inseparable, and protecting them must remain a national priority.
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About the National Medical Association:
The NMA is the nation’s oldest and largest organization representing Black physicians and health professionals in the U.S. and promotes the collective interests of physicians and patients of African descent. We serve as the voice of Black physicians and a leading voice for parity in medicine, elimination of health disparities and promotion of optimal health. To learn more about the NMA, please visit https://www.nmanet.org/.
